The Gardner Heist: A True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser 260 pp,
On March 18, 1990 two men, dressed as policemen, gained access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole a dozen masterpieces including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas. The artworks, worth up to $500 million have never been recovered. The theft is one of the world's greatest unsolved crimes. Harold Smith, an art detective, worked on solving the crime for many years. After Smith's death Ulrich Boser took over investigating. Boser followed many clues and delved into the deep underworld of stolen art with success. There were many suspects, some of whom are now dead, but there has been no sign of the paintings. The Gardner Museum kept the rooms as they were after the theft, with blank walls in rooms where the paintings were once displayed. The tale is interesting, if a bit dry in many spots. It's a doozy of a mystery.
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